If you’ve ever worked in human resources or managed an internal promotion process, then you know how challenging it can be to evaluate internal candidates against external applicants. In this post, I’ll describe a series of interview questions that are well-suited for evaluating internal and external applications with the same evidence-based criteria.
As I explained in “Internal Candidate Interviews Should Be Treated Like Any Other,” an internal candidate is someone who is currently employed by your organization and is being considered for a position within the company. However, they are not necessarily a casual conversation between two employees. An interview with an internal candidate is as much about deciding which internal employee should fill a specific role as it is about evaluating whether any particular internal employee is suitable for the job.
Of course, internal employees have some advantages: existing rapport, knowledge of the company’s operations, policies, culture, and procedures, as well as a long-standing relationship with their manager. But that doesn’t lower the bar for performance and fit; rather, those factors change the evidence available to support your decision.
Motivation
Why are you interested in this role?
The first step in evaluating a candidate is to assess whether the candidate wants to move into this new role (as opposed to leaving their current position). Motivational questions ask why they want to make this career change.
This is also a good question to determine what they’re bringing to the table, since the answer should indicate that they have done their research on the new role.
Why are you interested in making this change in your career?
You might also ask them why they want to change positions at all.
What’s one thing you enjoy about your current role that you hope to carry into this position?
A good answer would indicate that the candidate knows what he or she brings to the new role.
In addition, asking them to define their long-term career plan can indicate whether they are moving in the right direction and how committed they are to the company.
Are there skills you would like to acquire that could improve your work? What kind of training would you need to gain them?
How does this position fit into your future ambitions, if at all?
Have you been promoted before?
Is this a promotion?
If so, what motivated you to accept it?
Are you looking to escape from your current team?
Performance
Behavioral questions help to verify performance, using examples from known internal work. You should separate observable contributions from reputation. If you ask the candidate about how he or she handled a problem, probe for details. If you ask them about a project, check against records permitted by HR and managers.
I heard you worked on [project name]. Can you explain the process and scope of that work?
Tell me about the lessons you learned on that project.
Can you describe your performance on that project?
Who would your manager say describes your work best, and what do they see as your contribution to the company?
Did you report any metrics during that time period? What did they show?
What was your supervisor’s opinion of your work?
Do you think your performance has improved over time? What made you improve?
How have you demonstrated leadership?
What do you think of your current department? What would you do differently if given the chance?
When considering promotions, it’s important to understand the candidate’s ability to perform in his or her current role and how that role affects the organization’s success.
Are there people you work closely with in your department? Have they spoken highly of you?
Are there problems that prevent your department from achieving its goals?
How have you helped your team improve its performance?
Has anyone tried to get you to leave the company? Why?
Are you currently seeking employment outside the company? Why?
What do you expect from your manager?
Relationships
These prompts test whether the relationships built internally will transfer into value for the receiving role. Answers should reflect concrete stakeholders, collaboration behaviors, obstacles, and outcomes.
Have you worked cross-departmentally to build personal relationships?
Do you work independently, or do you prefer to collaborate with others?
Are you open to feedback, or do you take it personally? Are you aware of your own weaknesses? Do you know where you need improvement?
Have you worked with anyone on this team before?
How would your current team describe you and your performance?
Have you improved your collaboration between your current and receiving teams?
How would you go about integrating yourself into this new team?
Have you faced obstacles working across departments, and how did you overcome them?
Would you like more input from management? Or less?
Readiness
This final block of questions asks candidates to demonstrate that they understand their responsibilities, recognize what they don’t know, identify learning opportunities, and communicate how they plan to transition to their new role.
What challenges might you face in the new role? How do you plan to address them?
How do you plan to learn these new responsibilities or systems?
How do you plan to learn about new processes, tools or software?
How do you solve problems? Communicate? Train others? Help others develop?
If your job requires traveling or working in multiple locations, how do you plan to manage it?
Do you plan to work part-time while learning this new position? While supporting your existing department? What will you learn? Who can support you? When do you expect to start?
If you need to hire a replacement, will you do it immediately? How will you choose your successor?
Do you set boundaries when working with others, or are you flexible? What kind of expectations would you have for your new boss and colleagues?
Will you be able to complete the transition full-time, or will you require some assistance?
Leadership Readiness
If this is a managerial position, ask the candidate about his or her style of leadership and how it helps direct reports perform at their best. Also examine how well the candidate nurtures direct reports, handles difficult situations, and maintains accountability.
What type of leadership position do you believe you would excel in?
What leadership style do you think would be most effective for this new role?
How would you nurture your direct reports to ensure that they are performing at their highest level?
Do you think you would be successful as a first-time manager? Why?
How would you handle something that happened in a situation unfamiliar to you?
How would you remove a barrier that prevented your team from making progress?
What barrier did you find most difficult to remove? Why did it impede your progress? What steps did you take to resolve it?
Would you consider making an unpopular decision in order to benefit your team? How would you convince your team members to accept such a decision?
Internal/External Comparison
To compare an internal and external applicant, use similar behavioral and role-specific questions to test the candidate’s competency against competencies tied to on-the-job success. The key is to ask similar questions across all candidates to maintain consistency.
For example, if your hiring rubric includes several levels of scores based on a standard list of qualities, you can score each candidate against these standards, noting strengths and weaknesses. Once the candidates are evaluated, you can apply standardized scoring criteria and assign a score. Then, you can apply the same decision timeline and notification procedure, regardless of whether you are selecting between external or internal candidates.
Ultimately, it’s best to document objective evidence, along with relevant accomplishments and transferable skills. Work samples and other information are helpful in assessing an internal candidate’s ability to perform successfully.
Warning Signs
There are several warning signs that panels should document when familiarity can mask weak evidence, including:
Vague claims not tied to work products or metrics.
Entitlement assumptions that ignore the fact that every company must operate effectively.
Blame-focused criticism that doesn’t attempt to fix problems.
Unresolved collaboration problems.
Denial of transition needs.
Mainly escaping the current role.
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“If you could change one thing about your current position, what would it be?”
“If you aren’t selected, will it affect your current role?”
Favoritism from existing relationships.
It’s important to remember that you shouldn’t present the scorecard itself as a cure for bias, but rather as a way to document evidence and reduce bias in the hiring process.